Conventional air traffic control systems assist aircraft in taking off from a departure airdrome, such as a small general aviation airfield, a large commercial airport or a military airbase, transiting through controlled and non-controlled airspace and landing at a destination airdrome. Air traffic control services are typically provided by ground-based air traffic control personnel that guide aircraft through controlled airspace, such as high-volume air traffic areas including airports. In addition, air traffic controllers may provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace. The primary purpose of air traffic control is to prevent collisions as well as to organize and expedite the flow of air traffic by providing information and other support to pilots. Importantly, air traffic control enforces traffic separation rules that require each aircraft to maintain a minimum amount of empty space around it at all times to prevent collisions.
Traditionally, visual observation by air traffic controllers located in a control tower is the primary method of controlling airspace in the immediate airport environment. For example, air traffic controllers are responsible for the separation and efficient movement of aircraft operating on the taxiways and runways of the airport as well as in the airspace near the airport, such as within 5 to 10 miles of the airport. As new forms of air transportation are introduced and consumers come to rely more and more on such air transportation, the volume of air traffic within currently controlled airspace as well as currently non-controlled airspace will increase. In addition, centralized systems in which humans play a significant role in the provisioning of services, such as traditional air traffic control, are subject to single point failure potential, due to, for example, data integrity issues and human error. Accordingly, a need has arisen for an improved airspace management system that does not rely on centralized data or systems and is not subject to the single point failure potential.